VMD-based comparative analysis of ANN and SVM for chatter prediction in milling

Chatter remains a critical limitation in milling operations, impairing surface integrity, reducing tool life, and limiting productivity. Accurate real-time prediction of chatter is essential for achieving process stability and enhancing machining efficiency. This paper provides a comparative evaluation of Support Vector Machines (SVM) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) combined with Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD) for the accurate identification of chatter in real-time vibration data. The milling vibration signals are decomposed into an Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs) with VMD to obtain chatter sensitive features. Axial depth of cut, table feed and Spindle speed data combined with these characteristics are used as input to both ANN and SVM models. The ANN model uses Tangent Sigmoid (TANSIG) activation function and six training algorithms, out of which Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) is found to produce the best results. Experimental verification proved that the prediction accuracy of 91.44% was outstripped (over 87.21%) in terms of the SVM model by the ANN model. The robustness of this framework in detecting stable, transitional, and unstable cutting zones has also been demonstrated through Stability Lobe Diagrams (SLDs) analysis. The proposed VMD-ANN approach offers an accurate and efficient solution to chatter prediction and parameter optimisation in real-time, which further contributes to higher material removal rates, better surface quality, and a longer tool life for smart manufacturing applications.